GM to turn old Flint factory into classic car archive

The automaker said Saturday that it would invest millions of dollar in the old carriage producing “Factory One” building that it purchased in 2013.

General Motors and Kettering University will convert the old Durant-Dort factory one to an archive and research center that will house a collection of classic cars now displayed at Kettering.(Photo: GM Photo)

General Motors and Kettering University will convert the old Durant-Dort factory in Flint to an archive and research center that will house a collection of classic cars now displayed at Kettering.

The automaker said Saturday that it would invest millions of dollar in the old carriage-producing “Factory One” building that it purchased in 2013. The company has already spent about $3 million on fixes to the 25,000-square-foot building.

The building was leased in 1886 by Flint Road Cart Company founders William Crapo Durant and Josiah Dallas Dort. Durant later founded General Motors.

Renovation plans call for an archive and research center on the building’s first floor, with an automotive collection from Kettering University. The second floor would be made into a meeting area for the automaker, as well as for the community and educational groups.

The investment also covered the construction of a fence around the GM-owned parking lot across Water Street.

The work is expected to start in early 2016, and finish in 2017.

SmithGroupJJR in Ann Arbor is the architect on the project.

“The beautiful restoration of Factory One as a centerpiece of Carriage Town and downtown Flint provides us with an amazing opportunity to partner with GM and to provide these iconic historical treasures with the vibrant, innovative display they so richly deserve,” said Kettering University President Dr. Robert McMahan.